Actuating means for operating washing-machines.



c. E. RoIIIIs. vACTUATING MEANS FOR OPERATING WASHING MACHINES. APPLIcATIoII FILED IIIIIE 2a. I9I2. 1,236,6@5I

` rammed Aug. 14, 1917.

CHARLES E. ROBERTS, 0F OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

ACTUA'IING MEANS 'FOR OPERATING WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

Application led J' une 28, 1912. Serial No. 706,339.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. ROBERTS, a citizen of the United States, residing in Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Actuating Means for Operating WashingsMachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to actuatinvi means for operating oscillating vessels suc as are employed in some kinds of washing machines. The invention is employed in connection with power driven machines, and its nature s fully disclosed in the description given below, and is also shown in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification.

In said drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical, sectional View of a machine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail of a latch device, and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale.

In said drawing, 5 represents side beams at the base adapted to support the tub and its actuating mechanism, and in these beams the side standards 6 are secured, said standards 6 being connected together by a central brace 7 and a cross head at the top. This head is a rectangular frame of metal, by preference consisting of a surrounding frame composed of longitudinal sides 8, and ends 9. The ends are provided withhorizontal flanges 10 adapted to rest on the standards 6. Extending across the frame 8, 9, are braces 11 in one piece with said frame and such braces form bearings for the drive shaft 12 which carries a drive pulley 13 at one end, and at the other end is provided with a crank 14 which is pivotally united to a vertically hanging reciprocating rack bar pitman 15 which carries motion from the crank to the tub or vessel 16 to be oscillated.

The tub or vessel 16 is mounted on trunnions 17 supported at opposite sides of the vessel by plates 18 and 19 attached to the vessel and bearings are provided for such trunnions in casings on the standards 6, the same being shown at 24 on one side and at 25 on the other side. The trunnions are located centrally between the ends of the vessel and above its central horizontal plane, so that the vessel can be tilted freely from the vertical position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 to a vertical position not shown but which is opposite to the one illustrated. This oscillation is produced by the meshing of the rack bar 15 with the semi-circular pinion 22 formed on the plate 18 and located concentrically of the trunnion 17 at the same side of the machine with said plate. As the lower end of the rack bar 15 is free to swing, I provide means whereby it is held at all times in mesh with said pinion notwithstanding the changes in position of the rack bar itself and of the vessel, and these means consist of a grooved idle pulley 23 attached to the casing 24, and stationarily located therefor as to the rack bar, the groove of such pulley inclosing the back of the rack bar and pressing it `closely against the pinion 22.

The plates 18 and 19 extend by preference from the top to the bottom of the tub, and consequently are adapted to greatly stilfen and strengthen the device. The vessel reverses its position twice during each complete revolution of the crank, and the contents of the vessel being acted upon move from side to side of the vessel at each reversal, and consequently the washings are very thoroughly acted upon during the operation' of the machine. The reversals are accomplished with practically no jar or shock to the machine under normal loads, and the operation of the machine is quite easy.

I have not found it necessary to use any springs to cushion the action of the machine at the reversals, but if such are deemed beneficial I prefer to locate them in the hollow cylinder 30 attached to the crank and receiving the upper end of the crank bar 15, giving the crank bar freedom to slide up and down in the cylinder, and cushioning itsmovements by springs 34 and 35, one above and the other below the stationary shoulder 36 on the stem of the rack bar.

In order to lock the tub or vessel 16, I provide it with a locking device or latch 27, pivoted at 28 on the side standard 6 so that it may be swung vertically into and out of locking position, and having two arms, one of which has a notch adapted to engage the pin 29 on the tub and thus lock the tub against motion, and the other arm serving as a handle to operate the device.

It will also be noted that the tub is pivoted on an axis above a plane passing through the center of weight of the tub and its contents, and hence when the tub is oscllated to each side of the axis, the Washing Within the tub Will roll to the ends of the latter and tend to keep the center of Weight of all the parts 10W, and there will be practically no shock due to the momentum of the parts to be absorbed at the end of each movement and no springs between the tub and the frame will be required to absorb the shock, as has hitherto been customary in Washing machines having the tub rockable about a horizontal aXis. Another important feature of my improvements is the manner in which the power is transmitted from the driving shaft to the tub. "When the tub is reaching the end oi each oscillating movement and as it is coming to a stop of its own accord after the manner of a pendulum, the crank arm and rack bar rod are approaching parallelism, and therefore the speed of the rack bar is approaching Zero, and hence there is no jar or shock to be absorbed by the driving mechanism, and when the speed of the rack bar is gradually accelerated, due to the crank arm approaching a position at right angles to the bar, the speed of movement of` the tub is approaching its maximum automatically, in the same manner as a pendu lum, as it passes through the vertical position. v

From the foregoing it Will be seen that the pendulum motion of the tub and the crank arm-pitman-driving motion coperates to produce a machine which can be operated at high speed, Withoutshock or jar to the various parts, and one which is practically noiseless in operation.

I claim l l. An actuating mechanism comprising a vertically oscillating body, a driving crank,

said body being adapted to Acontain articles Whose center of gravity is constantly disposed beneath the center of gravity of said body and beneath its center of oscillation, a driving rod mounted for reciprocation in a vertical plane and pivoted at one end to said crank and having a rack at the other, a pinion fixed to said body at its center of oscillation and engaging said rack, said rod having an oscillatory movement about a center shiftable lengthwise of the rod.

2. An actuating mechanism comprising a body adapted to oscillate vertically from a normal horizontal position to vertical positions in each direction and having its center of gravity disposed beneath its center of oscillation vvhen in normal position, a driving crank, a driving rod mounted for reciprocation in a vertical plane and pivoted at one end to said crank and having a rack at Vthe other, a pinion fixed to'said body at its centerof oscillation and engaging said rack, the before-mentioned parts being arranged to dispose the crank in horizontal position Whensaid body is in normalposition.

3. An actuating mechanism comprising anY oscillating body, a frame, a bearing member, oscillating or pivot studs on said oscillating body and engaging in said bearing, a pinion formed integral With one of said pivot studs, a crank, a connecting rod connected to said crank and having a rod engaging said pinion, and a roller for engaging said connecting rod and pivotally mounted in said bearing. a

CHARLES E. ROBERTS. Witnesses:

PEARL ABRAMS, H. M. MUNDAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, byaaddresksing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

